The Sarkani Displaced Persons Committee criticizes Damascus' delay in the return of Sarkani displaced persons

According to Kurdpress, "Javan Issa," a member of the executive board of the Sarkani Displaced Persons Committee, accused the Damascus government and the current management of the city of delaying the return of the displaced persons, and announced that while a large part of the original residents have not yet returned to their homes, efforts are underway to determine the management councils of Sarkani and its subordinate areas.Following the military operation by Turkey and the Syrian National Army supported by it on October 9, 2019, approximately 150,000 residents of Sar-e-Kani were forced to leave their homes, with the majority of them resettling in Hasakah, Qamishlo and other areas of Syrian Kurdistan.

The return of displaced persons was one of the provisions of the January 29 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government. After the agreement was signed, 14,000 families, comprising approximately 80,000 people, prepared to return. In the first phase, on August 10, 410 families, comprising 2,500 people, returned from the Washukani camp to Sar-e-Kani and surrounding villages, and in the second phase, on September 8, 689 families, comprising approximately 7,000 people, returned.

However, the return of the displaced persons was halted after attacks by armed groups based in Sar-e-Kani.Young Issa said that providing security, handing over houses to their original owners, and opening traffic routes are progressing slowly, and the responsibility for this situation lies with the Damascus government and the Sarkani administration.

Kurds have not yet officially returned

A member of the Sarkani Displaced Persons Committee executive board said that most of the people who have returned so far have been Arabs, and Kurdish residents have not yet officially returned to the city center and surrounding villages.

He attributed the halt in returns to the lack of security guarantees, adding: "We are on the verge of winter, and the people's economic conditions are also not suitable. The possibility of return must be provided as soon as possible and the houses and lands must be handed over to their real owners. If the Damascus government were serious about this, it could have created the necessary conditions in a short time.»

Mines and the presence of armed groups are obstacles to return

Issa considered the failure to clear the remaining mines on the M4 highway, rural areas and around the center of Sarkani as another serious obstacle to return, and claimed that the demining operation has also been deliberately delayed.

He also said that armed groups are still present in Sarkani and a number of people's houses and properties are under their control. According to Issa, the influence of the Damascus government in this area is limited and the administrative structure of the city does not function like in areas under direct government control.

Referring to the closure of entry and exit routes, he said that the roads leading to Sarkani must be opened immediately so that people can move freely.Opposition to appointing councils before completing returns

Issa criticized the attempt to appoint the management of the Sarkani councils and its subordinate areas before the return of the displaced, saying: “As long as the real residents of Sarkani have not returned, it is not right to appoint the management of the city. The management structure must be formed after the return of the displaced and with their participation.”

He also announced that educational, social and relief services in the camps where the displaced are settled have been stopped, and this situation, as winter approaches, has created new problems for the families.

A member of the executive board of the Sarkani Displaced Persons Committee called for the possibility of returning all residents, without distinguishing between cities and villages, and emphasized that returnees should also participate in the military, administrative and economic management of the city.